- Director: Ang Lee
- Year: 2005
Overview
Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are hired to herd sheep on Brokeback Mountain in the summer of 1963. They develop a physical and emotional relationship during their isolation on the mountain. When the job ends, they return to their separate lives, marry their wives, and start families. They meet again years later and realize their feelings haven't changed. They continue to meet for secret trips over the next two decades. The pressure of societal expectations and fear of violence keep them from ever living together, leading to tragedy. They don't find a way out.
Takeaways
The mountain gives Ennis and Jack a private place where they can be themselves, away from the harsh judgments of the world. Once they go back down, the strict expectations of the 1960s West force them to hide their true selves through marriages that look normal to their neighbors. Fear of violence and losing their livelihoods keeps them from ever building a life together, leaving them with only a few brief trips over twenty years. Their tragic story shows how the pressure to conform and fit into society's boxes can end up tearing apart a deep and genuine love.